Magazines
by hillbythetree
Summary: Richard Church and Freddie Davis put their lives on hold to spread the word of Christ in Uganda. But between the placements and the preaching, there are secrets that they can't tell anybody, least of all each other.
1. Hearts and Lives

They met for the first time in the airport's parking lot, waiting for the shuttle bus to make another round. Richard Church was fidgeting in a suit that was two sizes too big for him, sweat glistening on his forehead as they stood in full sun. They stood together, alone, the air quiet except for a strange, disconnected humming. Freddie Davis was playing with his LDS nametag.

"So… you're Richard?" Freddie was clearly feeling the silence between them.

"Yeah." Richard's stomach was curling, and he tried to untwist it. "And you're… Freddie?"

"Yeah. But I guess we'd be Elder Church and Elder Davis now."

They both laughed, a terribly awkward laugh, and looked down again. In the distance, a car alarm went off. Davis gave his companion a quick once-over, as if he couldn't help himself. Elder Church went back to messing with his shirt collar.

The sun was beating hot on their shoulders, leading Church to desperately hope that he wasn't getting pit stains. Elder Davis was playing with his hands.

"So. Uganda." Elder Davis was clearly desperate for conversation.

"It's- it's something, all right."

"Did you do any of your research?"

"No." Elder Church's tone was overly flippant, but inside he was ashamed. Why hadn't he done his research again?

"Well, I haven't either." Clearly, Davis was trying to make him feel better. "So that's good!"

"You're from Longmont?"

"Yeah! And you're from…"

"Cheyenne."

"Oh, that's cool." Elder Davis sounded completely sincere. "I used to live there when I was a kid."

"Really?"

The bus was pulling up now, the afternoon heat reflecting off its blue metal shell. Elder Davis stepped aside, gesturing to the door. "After you, sir," he said in an absurdly royal tone.

Elder Church smiled tightly and bowed his head. "Thank you, sir."

As his suitcase's wheels clicked against the metal steps, Elder Church swallowed dryly, trying to keep himself from puking. Elder Davis sat next to him in the back of the bus, the two making a stark contrast from the passengers in shorts and flip-flops. As the shuttle rumbled and bumped forward, Elder Church glanced out the window at the cars passing to their side. He felt an indescribable excitement seize him, the world he knew falling more behind them with every second.

Elder Davis looked out, too. "Well," he said, "this is it."

Elder Church let out a long, shaky breath. "This is it," he replied.


	2. It Came Here to Save You

Walking off the plane in Nairobi was like stepping into an oven. The light, though it was from the same sun, made him squint into the horizon like he was on another planet. As they crossed the strip to the door, he couldn't take his eyes off the surrounding treeline. It stretched long and low, encircling the ground, in essence the skyline he knew from home. But it looked wrong somehow- like a person had put a familiar puzzle together but used all the wrong parts.

_This_, he thought, _is so strange_. He had not expected anything to be similar to what he knew.

When they got inside the airport, Elder Davis gave a quick sigh of relief. The airport itself was cool and well-oiled, though Richard noticed paint flaking from the walls. The noise from the loudspeakers mingled with the sound of chatter and hovered near the ground; the roof vaulted high above them, lit and vaguely atmospheric.

As they walked into the terminal, Richard couldn't suppress a bit of surprise at how _black_ everyone was. Immediately, a rush of guilt seized him, and he said a quick prayer for guidance and forgiveness. He glanced over at his companion, as if Elder Davis could sense his creeping shame. But Davis looked straight ahead, his eyes searching the moving crowd.

Richard winced. He looked down at his own arms, reminding himself not to judge a book by its cover.

They slumped into seats near the next gate, the sign designating its Kampala connection. Richard took a deep breath, hearing the leather of the seat squelch as he leaned into it. Next to him, Elder Davis was clearly not feeling the daylight. He stretched and yawned heavily, then turned to Richard with drowsy eyes.

"Hey, I'm gonna go to the bathroom, okay?" he said.

"Sure," Richard said, in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone. Tapping his heels, he watched Davis walk off, still too nervous to feel tired.

He looked around at the businessmen sitting near them, at the skirt-wearing flight attendants and the woman pulling children. Everything suddenly seemed new, so foreign. Even the light, flooding through the wide windows, looked to be a different color: white, bright, and thin, beams from the sun's stronger cousin.

Then Elder Davis was beside him, looking much more awake than he had a few minutes ago. He dropped heavily into his chair. He glanced at Richard, then looked away quickly. Richard saw his movements from the corner of his eye, which made him all the more self-conscious.

They sat like that, and time seemed to shrink to a crawl.

"Um. So." Elder Davis licked his lips, glancing at Richard from the side. A tiny smile curved his mouth, though more from kindness than from enjoyment.

Richard's stomach tightened with a little residual fear. "It's crazy, you know?" he said, gesturing widely. "I mean, I can't believe we're on our mission."

"Yeah." He yawned, then smiled a little wider. "Hey, do you watch _Doctor Who_?"

Richard shook his head. "Sorry," he answered, "I haven't."

Elder Davis seemed a little crestfallen. "Oh," he said, looking down at his fidgeting hands.

But Richard could jump on an outlet for conversation. "What's _Doctor Who_?" he asked, thirstier for friendship than a synopsis.

Elder Davis brightened. "It's, like, the best TV show ever," he said. "I can't believe you've never heard of it."

"Is it anything like Batman?"

"No way," Davis said, "do you watch Batman?"

"Well, I've- I've watched a few episodes…"

"Oh my gosh!" Elder Davis clapped his hands on his thighs. "I can't believe it! I _love_ Batman!"

Richard smiled slightly- but inside, something small was beaming in delight.

Suits passed, buzzers sounded, and suitcases claimed their boarding tickets. Elder Davis shrugged and looked towards the ceiling, smiling as he described rabbit ears and Saturday mornings with the sound turned down. As they spoke, Richard could feel his caution opening up and falling away, like the petals of a slowly blooming flower. And as Freddie looked out the window, Richard turned and looked too.

Richard felt exposed, but he bit his tongue and told himself that this was good.

As Elder Davis gestured and Richard laughed, the chinks in his armor widened ever so slightly. The real Richard peered out slowly, cautiously watching the light. But there was something that held him back. Something stopped him from breaking the wall.

He heard a little voice whisper in the back of his head.

_Watch out_, it said. _Watch out_.


End file.
